Pom Poko

We’re deep in Ghibli country here as ‘Pom Poko’ sees a community of walking, talking raccoons attempt to avert a housing construction that threatens to eat into their forest habitat. A strain of lewd humour runs through the film, with a particularly impressive scene involving a small band of (presumably male) raccoons crushing their human foe with testicles swollen to the size of Mini Coopers. Thankfully, the proceedings are carefully anchored in what are palpably human concerns, namely the cohabitation of humans and wildlife and the environmental cost of widespread urbanisation, and while this is not quite up there with best of the studio’s output, it’s still a striking and universally pleasurable experience.